Justice Department to settle Judicial Watch lawsuit over Biden audio tapes for $10K

The conservative legal group Judicial Watch on Thursday announced the Justice Department (DOJ) has agreed to settle a lawsuit from the group related to former President Joe Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur.

Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for the audio recordings of his interview with Hur in March 2024, and the audio recordings were eventually leaked and released this past May.

The audio, which has been used as a basis for congressional probes since its release, appeared to support allegations that Biden's memory and mental acuity were not as strong as the White House and his administration attempted to portray. 

Judicial Watch said the DOJ has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle the lawsuit, which will help cover attorney fees and other costs related to the civil litigation. 

“Judicial Watch’s heavy lifting ended the cover-up of the Biden-Hur tapes," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. "Our lawsuit caused the release of the tapes and multiple new official investigations of exactly who was running the Biden White House. 

"The modest settlement of $10,000 is a fraction of the value to the public interest from Judicial Watch’s lawsuit," he added.

The victory comes after the lawsuit also forced the Biden administration to admit that transcripts of the Hur interview had been edited, which Republicans claimed were done in a way that covers up Biden's true cognitive state.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.